London votes on October 26
London holds a municipal election on Monday, October 26. Nominations closed on August 21, so the field is now set. Voters choose three people: a mayor, a councillor for their ward, and a school board trustee. All three are on one ballot.
Why this election matters
Municipal government sounds like paperwork. It decides your bus route.
The council chosen in October sets the budget for London Transit. It decides how the City answers housing and homelessness, and where new rental housing can be built. Library funding runs through it. So does much of the City's work with settlement organizations.
Those are the services newcomers use most, and this is the government that decides them.
In 2022 about one in four people on the voters' list cast a ballot. When turnout is that low, a single ballot carries more weight than it does in a federal or provincial election.
Who can vote
You can vote in this election if you are:
a Canadian citizen
18 or older on voting day
living in London, or renting or owning property here
Renters can vote, and so can the spouse of an owner or a renter. You do not need to own a home.
Students can vote in two places. One is London, where you live for school. The other is your family home, if it is elsewhere in Ontario.
Permanent residents cannot vote in this election. Ontario law requires Canadian citizenship, and the same rule applies to people on work permits and study permits.
Check whether you are on the list
Elections Ontario keeps the list of voters. If your name is missing, you can still vote.
This matters most for anyone who became a citizen in the past year or who has moved. The list is built from records that lag behind real life. A missing name is a paperwork problem, not a judgment about your right to vote.
From September 1, the City Clerk's elections office can help. They can check your name, fix your address, or add you to the list. You can apply to be added right up to the close of voting on October 26.
What to bring
Bring identification, or ID, that shows your name and your address. A photo is not required. You may need two pieces to cover both.
A Canadian passport does not count. You write your own address inside a passport, so it does not prove where you live. These do work:
an Ontario driver's licence or Health Card
a lease or rental agreement
a utility bill for hydro, water, gas, telephone or cable
a pay stub or T4
an income tax assessment
a school transcript or residence document
Advance voting runs on October 1, October 3, and October 5 to 10. Every voting day, including October 26, runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The third vote on your ballot
Four school boards run trustee races in London, and two of them are French-language. Which trustee appears on your ballot depends on your school support designation. That is the board your household is registered with for school taxes. If you are not sure which one that is, the elections office can tell you.
If you cannot vote
You can still take part in this election.
Candidates campaign door-to-door through September and October. They do not ask about immigration status, and they have no reason to. If a candidate knocks, tell them what your street needs. Bus service, sidewalks, rent, snow clearing. What candidates hear at doors comes up later at council.
All-candidates meetings are public meetings where everyone running in your ward answers questions. Any resident can attend and ask one.
Campaigns want volunteers. What they want most is people who know the neighbourhood.
In many London households, some people can vote and others cannot. What one person learns, the whole household can use.
Where to ask
The City of London's elections office answers questions about the voters' list, voting places, and ID. You can find it at london.ca/elections.